A few of the items that are not accepted include air conditioners, light ballasts and all of the various light bulbs.

“E-cycle is the best way to utilize the old electronic items and keep them out of the landfill,” he comments.

So why should electronics by recycled? For one, they contain valuable metals and components that may be used again in other manufacturing processes.

Components such as cadmium, chromium, mercury, barium and other material(s) are components that can pollute water and air resources without proper disposal or recycling. One of the fastest growing waste streams is e-waste such as computers, TVs and cell phones.

Montana does not have any legislation requiring electronic equipment to be recycled or banning electronics from landfills.

And, it is just the right thing to do.

For more information on this program, contact Becker after 5 p.m. at 278-7741 or the Pondera County Extension office at 271-4054.

Editor's note: The article below is included as a side-bar as it was published in the newspaper.

Recycle is the thing to do

By Buck Traxler, I-O Editor

On April 8, there is going to be an E-cycle program in the former BNSF depot on Front Street where you can get rid of your unwanted and used electronic equipment.

Conrad is in the process of getting an overall recycling program off the ground and this is one component of the program.

While this special event on April 8 is geared only to electronics, it is worth noting there are many, many items that can be recycled.

Following are some tidbits of information about recycling, such as 84 percent of all household waste can be recycled. Each person throws away about four pounds of garbage every day.

It takes 90 percent less energy to recycle aluminum cans than to make new ones.

It takes about one million years for glass to decompose in a landfill.

Every hour, Americans discard 2.5 million plastic bottles.

If every American household switched to compact fluorescent light bulbs, the energy saved could power an entire city.

Air quality has improved since 1970, with the main pollutant levels, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, ozone carbon monoxide, lead and particulates like soot and smoke falling by 64 percent.

Recycling one aluminum can, can save enough energy to watch TV for three hours.

And my favorite; more than 20 million Hershey’s Kisses® are wrapped each day, using 133 square miles of tinfoil. All of that foil is recyclable, but few people realize it. But now you do!

For more information about recycling, contact Corrine Rose, Pondera County Sanitarian at 271-4036, LeAnn Hermance, DES coordinator at 271-4040 or the county Extension office at 271-4054.